(ED Picturehouse now open)when is the cinema on LL opening?

[sanity girl]

Can you not call in to the cinema in person to buy tickets in advance? That seems like the simplest option given that it's local.

[edcam]

Yes, you can but that's not always convenient unless you also work in the area.

sanity girl Wrote:

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> Can you not call in to the cinema in person to buy

> tickets in advance? That seems like the simplest

> option given that it's local.

[Otta]

"Everyone else is doing it" is not an acceptable excuse for ripping people off. And charging a fee for each ticket within one transaction is completely unjustifiable.

[Rolo Tomasi]

Otta Wrote:

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> "Everyone else is doing it" is not an acceptable excuse for ripping people off. And charging a fee

> for each ticket within one transaction is completely unjustifiable.

Exactly.

[Ladygooner]

If you are a member you do not pay a booking fee

[edcam]

Yet they all do it, so it's pointless singling out one cinema. It's a justified gripe but not one that's specific to this place.

Otta Wrote:

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> "Everyone else is doing it" is not an acceptable

> excuse for ripping people off. And charging a fee

> for each ticket within one transaction is

> completely unjustifiable.

[Chirpie]

It's annoying that they don't just have an all inclusive price. 13.50 a ticket rather than 12 + 1.50.

The cynic in me says it's merely them putting the 1.50 through the books as a vat exempt service.

Thus not paying VAT on about 10% of their online revenues.

On topic the cinema does look great and I can't wait to go.

[Otta]

edcam Wrote:

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> Yet they all do it, so it's pointless singling out

> one cinema. It's a justified gripe but not one

> that's specific to this place.

>

> Otta Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > "Everyone else is doing it" is not an

> acceptable

> > excuse for ripping people off. And charging a

> fee

> > for each ticket within one transaction is

> > completely unjustifiable.

That's like saying you shouldn't moan about your bank charges because all the banks do it. How about if ONE business actually said "do you know what? We're going to do the right thing rather that mugging our customers like everyopne else does". They might actually find they get MORE business that way.

I'm not singling out this cinema for criticism, but equally if they are doing something bad, it deserves to be pointed out, even if other people are also doing it. If you join a gang of robbers you're still a thief, the fact you're in with other thieves doesn't change that.

[edcam]

It isn't a relevant comparison. The thread is about a new cinema in the area, not a moan about "cinemas in general". That might be worth another thread though.

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> edcam Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Yet they all do it, so it's pointless singling

> out

> > one cinema. It's a justified gripe but not one

> > that's specific to this place.

> >

> > Otta Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > "Everyone else is doing it" is not an

> > acceptable

> > > excuse for ripping people off. And charging a

> > fee

> > > for each ticket within one transaction is

> > > completely unjustifiable.

>

>

> That's like saying you shouldn't moan about your

> bank charges because all the banks do it. How

> about if ONE business actually said "do you know

> what? We're going to do the right thing rather

> that mugging our customers like everyopne else

> does". They might actually find they get MORE

> business that way.

>

> I'm not singling out this cinema for criticism,

> but equally if they are doing something bad, it

> deserves to be pointed out, even if other people

> are also doing it. If you join a gang of robbers

> you're still a thief, the fact you're in with

> other thieves doesn't change that.

[Mick Mac]

Maybe someone should start a thread about booking fees and a debate that's not therefore particular to a new local business (albeit a small chain).

[dc]

I think - having fiddled with the PH website - that it's ?1.50 per online booking not per ticket. If you think you might go a few times in the next year then membership is worthwhile and 'pays for itself' (you then get no booking fees and ?2 off all future tickets). There are also deals like 10% off purchases at the bar/cafe and 25% off at GBK - inter alia - if you want to take advantage of that sort of thing.

[Mick Mac]

And I do.

....

[Bic Basher]

You can just pop down the Picturehouse and book without a booking fee or turn up before the screening.

[LondonMix]

Get off your high horse everyone. These are really small cinemas?developing an IT structure to support online booking is an investment and each cinema still have to have a ticket window so its not really offset by reducing other costs. Charging those who use the service a higher ticket price isn?t crazy. If you don?t want to pay it, then pick them up at the cinema if 1.50 is too high a price to pay for the added convenience. Or you can become a member and get a discount ?

[Otta]

I don't think anyone is on a high horse. Some people think something is not right, others disagree. That's pretty much it, no high horses.

It does make me laugh the assumption that just because the area has a great new resource, no one should criticise it in any way.

It's there now, and it's cost them a fair bit to put it there. I don't think they're going to stop off in a huff if anyone dares criticise them.

[LondonMix]

I'm not saying don't criticize it, I'm saying that particular criticism doesn't make sense (to me). Everyone of course is welcome to disagree with me :)

[Bic Basher]

LondonMix Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Get off your high horse everyone. These are

> really small cinemas?developing an IT structure to

> support online booking is an investment and each

> cinema still have to have a ticket window so its

> not really offset by reducing other costs.

> Charging those who use the service a higher ticket

> price isn?t crazy. If you don?t want to pay it,

> then pick them up at the cinema if 1.50 is too

> high a price to pay for the added convenience. Or

> you can become a member and get a discount ?

Picturehouse is hardly a small cinema group. It's owned by Cineworld.

Incidentally Cineworld currently doesn't charge a booking fee, but will reintroduce one for phone/online transactions from July 1st.

http://www.cineworld.co.uk/blog/fees

[Shaila Shah]

LondonMix Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Get off your high horse everyone. These are

> really small cinemas?developing an IT structure to

> support online booking is an investment and each

> cinema still have to have a ticket window so its

> not really offset by reducing other costs.

> Charging those who use the service a higher ticket

> price isn?t crazy. If you don?t want to pay it,

> then pick them up at the cinema if 1.50 is too

> high a price to pay for the added convenience. Or

> you can become a member and get a discount ?

Actually, I think the PH chain is larger than people may know, and in fact is part of Cineworld, which owns several multiplexes. Quite different from what it was when it started off...

[Tractorlad]

Odeon Leicester Square which I had always considered the most ridiculously priced cinema in London is ?12.50 per seat, no booking fee. Friday night at the Picture House is ?12.60 plus ?1.50 booking fee per online or telephone transaction. Crazy. I shall continue to avail of the ?4.99 every night deal at the Peckham Plex.

[James Barber]

If you don't want the call charges of the 0871 9025749 then you might want to try looking for an alternative normal 020 number here: http://www.saynoto0870.com/companysearch.php

really quite surprising that they dont appear to have one phone bank for tickets.

[LondonMix]

I know it's part of Cineworld. I said the cinemas are small not the organisation. For a 3 screen cinema you would always only have 1 ticket office or 2 at a push. Therefore the online booking system does not allow them to achieve any operational cost savings. They therefore should charge for the booking system.

Corrected for typos made on my phone!

[Bic Basher]

LondonMix Wrote:

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> I know it's part of cineworld. I said the cinemas

> are small not the organisation. For a 3 screen

> cinema you would always only have 1 ticket office

> or 2 at a push. Therefore the online booking

> system does allow them to achieve any operational

> cost savings. they therefore should charge for

> the booking system

To be fair, even the infamous Peckham Plex has a small online booking charge which is considerably cheaper than Picturehouse, despite being an independent cinema.

Cineworld appear to be using the Picturehouse brand to mark up prices as they're mainly in gentrified areas where the customer base will spend more than in an area with a Cineworld, i.e. Croydon.

[MrBen]

But in gentrified areas...rents are higher, so cost base is higher.

Sometimes on here people miss the basics of what it takes to run a business.

[LondonMix]

Agree Mr. Ben...

Also, don't forget the additional investment costs associated with creating a cinema like PH.

[derwentgrove]

I dropped by this afternoon (there have to be some advantages to being self employed!) What they have done with the interior is impressive. The staff also seemed friendly but were (inevitably) finding their feet. The seats in screen 2 upstairs were comfortable and the smell of fresh paint not too overwhelming. This being SE22, one of those watching the film had brought a baby (to a 15 certificate): a practice that I hope is stamped out immediately.